Eriksson hands new pairing a tough job

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Lisbon: A match that brings players against the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Patrick Vieira does not immediately appear to represent a good occasion to give an untested midfield line-up their second run out.

That is, however, exactly what England are set to do in their Euro 2004 opener here on Sunday and Steven Gerrard, arguably the player on whom the outcome of the experiment depends, is confident that head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has not taken leave of his senses.

By dropping Nicky Butt from his starting line-up Eriksson has abandoned the habits of a lifetime in football - always invest heavily in players capable of holding their position and acting as a shield for the back four.

Instead two attack-minded players, Gerrard and Chelsea's Frank Lampard, will have the shared responsibility of halting Zidane and Robert Pires while simultaneously seeking to put France's central duo, Vieira and Claude Makelele, under pressure.

Even for an experienced midfield combination that would represent a daunting task.

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Gerrard and Lampard will be attempting to do it on the basis of a grand total of 45 minutes playing alongside each other in last week's friendly against Iceland and a few workouts on the pitch of Lisbon's National Stadium.

Gerrard acknowledges that his and Lampard's performance could make the difference in the Stadium of Light on Sunday.

"Midfield will be a major, major part of the game. I think our midfield will be trying to put our markers down early. We won't be sitting back. We'll show them a lot of respect but we'll be going for the win."

The tournament represents Gerrard's first outing on a major international stage and the 24-year-old is being tipped as a potential star after missing the last World Cup to undergo surgery for a groin problem.